Which miles to burn first?

Given the trend of programs moving away from "fixed" pricing to "dynamic" or "revenue-based" pricing, what strategy would you pursue in terms of redemptions?

My parents travel each winter to India (in J). They have several hundred thousand miles with each of AA, UA & DL. For the last few years, I have arranged for them to redeem AAdvantage miles on either Eithad or Qatar -- primarily because the mileage cost was least, the cabins were nice and they could go directly to their final destination with only two legs from a US gateway.

DL has already moved to dynamic pricing. Do you think AA and UA will continue their sheep-like behavior and follow DL's lead, a least in the next year? Should I continue to book my parents through AA using the least miles and protecting against a devaluation or do I go the DL route and burn miles with the program with the least "value" for my parents?

You can book travel on Delta's partners at saver level rates. Take turns using different programs. Maybe fly via Asia and mix it up a bit for your parents. On AA, maybe fly Cathay sometimes? On United, maybe book on Lufthansa or something via Europe.

The main question I still have is whether to spend cheaper AA miles (70k) or burn more expensive and, for my parents at least, orphaned DL miles (98k). I'm leaning towards an AA redemption simply because they are the "most valuable" right now: More value will be destroyed if AA devalues than if DL continues its slide.

ABOUT LUCKY

Ben Schlappig (aka Lucky) is a travel consultant, blogger, and avid points collector. He travels about 400,000 miles a year, primarily using miles and points to fund his first class experiences. He chronicles his adventures, along with industry news, here at One Mile At A Time.
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